The St. Louis Schools Collaborative (SLSC) brings together leaders of public schools in the St. Louis region to work together on innovative solutions to our most pressing needs, and to benefit all students, regardless of their school.
Who We Are
The SLSC was started in 2020 under the leadership of SLPS and City Charter School leaders with a vision to pursue opportunities for greater coordination among our region’s public schools. SLSC develops collective priorities and recommends changes to the current educational landscape based on a holistic systems perspective informed by parents and educators.
The SLSC is now supported by the Center for Education Leadership, a program of the St. Louis Community Foundation. This partnership enhances our capacity to address our region’s most urgent issues, allowing us to reach a broader audience and include more school districts in the region.
As of 2024, current active participants include KIPP St. Louis, Confluence Academies, Atlas, Lafayette Prep, SLLIS, Lift for Life Academy, Momentum Academy, Kairos, The Soulard School, City Garden Montessori, Maplewood Richmond Heights School District, Jennings, Rittenour, and Ferguson-Florissant.
Our Approach
Convening system-wide meetings
to address intractable educational issues. School leaders meet regularly to discuss developments and strategize about system-wide improvements.
Conducting small pilots
that test innovative approaches before scaling. The current pilot tests a formal system for schools to learn from other schools that have demonstrated success in a specific area.
Answering questions of practice
by working with university researchers. School leaders partner with the SRPC to interpret findings and create research-informed solutions.
Who We Are
The SLSC began meeting in 2019 with a small group of representatives from Saint Louis Public Schools, KIPP St. Louis, Confluence Academies, Premier Charter Schools, City Garden, SLU, UMSL, and Mizzou. The group convened to explore opportunities for collaboration between City schools.
In March 2021, the group expanded to include leadership from every charter school. The SLSC identified three priority areas and corresponding workgroups: developing a system of shared services, shared advocacy priorities, and location planning initiatives.
These workgroups were designed to address technical challenges in the education system. The education system does not only experience technical challenges, however. In order to address larger, systemic issues, the SLSC initiated an 18-month research process to develop a shared plan of action for the SLSC.
Between 2019-2024, SKIP DesignEd (SKIP) provided pro-bono logistical assistance for the SLSC. In 2024, the Center for Education Leadership, a program of the St. Louis Community Foundation, took over providing in-kind administrative and staffing support for the SLSC and its initiatives.
The St. Louis Schools Collaborative (SLSC) is a collection of representatives from regional public schools in St. Louis City and County who, together, are pursuing opportunities for greater alignment and coordination that lead to better educational outcomes for all children. Members of the Collaborative agree that all schools serve the same children in St. Louis. They believe that deeper, sustained collaboration among these entities is the best path to achieving greater educational outcomes for children. They therefore agree to assist each other in achieving these better outcomes for all St. Louis students.
Currently, the Collaborative is an informal collection of individuals with no legal standing or binding authority.
The members of the St. Louis Schools Collaborative believe in the following principles that guide our work together, and we commit to abide by these principles, both publicly and privately:
- We believe all children in St. Louis should be supported to achieve their highest potential, no matter which school they attend or in which neighborhood they live.
- We agree that higher educational outcomes for children should be at the center of all the decisions we make together.
- We agree that both District and Charter Schools serve children in St. Louis, and that collaboration between these entities is the best path to achieving greater educational outcomes for children.
- We agree to assist each other in achieving better outcomes for all students in St. Louis.
- When conflict arises between our institutions, we agree to seek to resolve issues through communication, collaboration, and compromise through the Collaborative structure.
- We believe that funding for public education in St. Louis is a high priority for the future of the region, and we agree to work together to increase resources for our collective mission and seek to fairly distribute these resources through collaborative dialogue.
- We believe that accurate and timely information is important for families and stakeholders to make informed decisions regarding the education of their children, and we agree to work together to provide reliable, timely, and easily understood information regarding public education in St. Louis through the Collaborative structure.
The Collaborative’s Activities
School Leaders Collaborative
The SLSC provides a unique opportunity for school and district leaders to collaborate, by establishing a network of educators who are ready to share resources and insights to improve our education system. Members have the unique opportunity to build community with other school leaders who understand the complexities and nuances of being in leadership roles, and to work together to solve shared challenges.
Shared Special Education Services Co-op
The Shared Special Education Services Co-op is composed of 8 partner schools, Atlas Public Schools, City Garden Montessori, Confluence Academies, Kairos Academies, KIPP Public Schools, Lafayette Preparatory Academy, Momentum Academy, and The Soulard School. The goal of this initiative is to create cost-effective high-quality special education service sharing between charter schools in St. Louis City.
Ongoing Research
Members of the SLSC previously engaged in an 18-month Research and Design Process that focuses on understanding what drives enrollment decline in St. Louis Schools by creating a system dynamics model. The model is intended to help school leaders identify potential interventions to the educational system in efforts to create change over time. As of 2024, the next study is supporting the work of teacher sustainability.
Learning Visits
Learning Visits are professional development sessions hosted by members of the SLSC, who open their doors to invite colleagues to see their schools in action. Each visit is designed to showcase techniques, approaches, or mindsets used by schools in St. Louis, and to support peer educators in implementing innovative best practices in their own schools.
Learn more about attending a Learning Visit on our events page.